AN: Just to prove I'm not dead, I thought I'd post this little one-shot—not my usual shtick, but I love this series and this pairing. CAUTION: I only watch the anime, and this scenario takes place after Sasuke finally comes to his misplaced senses and rejoins the Leaf Village and his friends. Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Silk & Steel
Silk and steel, Sauske thought, gazing down at Sakura sleeping in his arms, her naked form bathed in moonlight from the single window in their bedroom. Her silky skin, pale and perfect, barely marred by the scars she'd acquired as a kunoichi in the ANBU black ops. The scars she did have were so subtle that only he, with his intimate knowledge of her body, could uncover them. Sasuke caressed her shoulder, thinking of touching her skin at the height of their passion, slick and smooth and feverish. Sakura nuzzled closer to him in her sleep, sighing contentedly, and he moved his hand to her hair to keep her near. She kept it in the short style she'd received during the chuunin exams, but he could care less about its length; it still smothered his senses when they made love, drowning him in her unique scent of cherry blossoms. The silky strands still caught in her eyelashes when they swept across her lovely face, providing even more opportunities for him to touch her. The only thing softer than her glorious hair was her touch as she healed, or helped the wounded off a battlefield. The difference between that touch and the iron-hard impact of her chakra-powered punches was truly astounding, and having been on the receiving end of both, Sasuke was more keenly aware of the contrast than most people. That power was the steel in her, the inner strength few people could see. Her determination, her guts, her deadly skills as a shinobi, her passion, her willfulness, her sharp mind, her self-sacrificing nature; these traits were the shuriken hidden in the folds of the lavish kimono, the razor-sharp steel ribs of the silk fan…the fatal strength possessed by the loveliest woman in the Leaf Village. Silk and steel.
Sakura stirred and opened her eyes, chuckling lazily at his expression. "Why is it you can never get a good night's sleep after you get back from a solo mission?" she murmured sleepily.
Sasuke bundled her up to his chest, tracing patterns on the small of her back. "I'm so desperate to feel you in my arms again, I can't be bothered with sleep," he replied softly.
His unexpectedly tender words caught Sakura off guard; she drew in a sharp breath as an electric current of lust lanced through her abruptly alert body. "Well then," she whispered huskily, "I might as well stay up with you." She heard his near-silent groan and began to kiss her way up his throat.
Silk and steel, she thought, sliding her hands over steel cables of muscle on his chest and shoulders. The steel of his blade as he cut down his enemies matched the steel in his ruby red eyes as he used his Sharingan. Even through the shadowed eyeholes in their ANBU masks, the blood trait of the Uchiha clan could be seen and feared by all who boded ill toward the Leaf Village. The steely reserve in his aloof mien, an emotional shield only a select few could penetrate. The unyielding willpower he shared with Naruto and Hinata, a degree of stubbornness previously unheard of. The way his strong arms tightened around her when she held him, the feel of his powerful body intertwined and melding with hers, as it was now. Yet his callused hands were always gentle as they brushed across her face, or any other part of her. There was compassion in him, a softness tucked away for years like a ball of silk at the back of a weapons room—Sakura had seen it more and more in the years since Itachi's death. The rude, condescending genin was gone, replaced by a mature, surprisingly courteous young man, one who had sincerely congratulated Naruto and Hinata upon the announcement of their engagement and stood proudly in the position of best man at the wedding; one who limited his sarcastic comments to those who actually deserved them; and one who was still slow to praise, but ten times slower to bully. Somehow, that ball of silk had unraveled to bind together the fragments of Sasuke's soul, transforming him into a true shinobi.
Sakura gasped as Sasuke rolled on top of her, burying his face into her neck and one hand in her hair while the other supported his weight to keep from crushing her. She clung to him, her mouth locked onto his and kissing ferociously, their breath mingling as their bodies did. With a final great shudder, Sasuke collapsed against Sakura's chest. They lay there for some time, panting and sweaty, while she stroked his hair and murmured soft, nonsensical syllables. Eventually, his brawny arms encircled her waist and he sighed against her collarbone.
"You are way too good for a lowlife like me," he muttered, his possessive tone and embrace defying the words.
Sakura smiled. "Love you, too, Sasuke."
AN: Yay SasuSaku! Hope you enjoyed that tasty tidbit of smuttyish fluff. REVIEW! Please.
